eogrÄfiski raksti folia geographica xii - Ä¢eogrÄfijas un Zemes zinÄtÅ†u ...

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GENERAL TREND articles fully in English (19) – especially for the purpose of International Geographical Union (IGU) world congresses. All articles include at least a summary in English that makes the journal accessible also for those who have the command of English but not that of Latvian. The articles appearing only in Latvian were reviews of the activities of the Latvian Geographical Society. Counting the relation between the articles in English and in Latvian, it should be mentioned that for the IGU world congresses of the International Geographical Union 2000, the entire journal was published exclusively in English. Nevertheless, there are in “ordinary volumes” increasingly articles in English with summaries in Latvian. English is also becoming dominant in the use of references, despite the Latvian orientation of the journal. References in English and Latvian make total of 84% of all references. Meanwhile the use of Russian references has diminished to a few and there are only scarce references in German or French or other languages (Table 2). all pages all pages all articles Contents of Geografiski Raksti / Folia Geographica, 1999–2003 articles in English 12 English summary human geography physical geography Table 1 number of authors 1999 173 16 1 15 12 2 21 2000 80 9 9 0 4 3 12 2001 109 11 2 8 6 3 16 2002 108 7 5 2 4 2 12 2003 119 10 2 7 5 5 14 total 589 53 19 32 31 15 51 Language of references in Geografiski Raksti / Folia Geographica, 1999–2003 Table 2 Latvian English Russian German French other total 1999 105 68 32 6 3 1 215 2000 38 56 13 2 3 1 113 2001 87 80 2 5 1 1 176 2002 36 54 5 16 2 0 113 2003 53 123 11 26 2 3 218 total 319 381 63 55 11 6 835 % 38.2 45.6 7.5 6.6 1.3 0.7 100.0 Conclusions and open suggestions Today, postcolonial and postmodern world-views criticize the modernist search for final truth and order that have been an integral part of the development of geography. One result in geography is the search for plural approaches when dealing with cultural diversity. Nevertheless, globalization is bringing more homogenization and economic rationality into academic and non-academic geographical practices. In the phase of the European Union enlargement, it is estimated that evaluation and assessment in science will increase in the member states. It is becoming a norm in geography that most impact is given to publications that have been published in peer-reviewed international journals with a certain import factor. Sometimes in the evaluation system are also taken into account publications and books by recognized international publishers. However, many of these international journals in English are neither very international nor global. This
13 GENERAL TRENDS narrow evaluation based on “international” scientific databases can be conducted in some fields of science but it does not suit well for geography, especially for human geography that has significant cultural and linguistic connections to the places it researches. A further challenge to geography is the European harmonization of university curricula that is taking place. In general, to be more integrated, it is expected that scholars from countries of “small languages” should use English more often in their teaching and publications as well as in references. In the Baltic States the departments of geography are quite small and the research units are smaller still when geography is split into sub-units. The further integration into EU research frameworks will raise the question in the three Baltic States, for example, whether there is a possibility or even a need for Ph.D. granting in the national language? If the language of science is English and geographers in the three Baltic States publish their research outcomes in English, what will be the future of geography and GRFG? The history of the institutionalization of geography indicates the broadening of geographers’ activities. Today in Latvia these reach are over from classic fundamental research, to applied research, and further into contracting and consulting activities. The two very specialized extremes of geography – the specialized scientist in the academy and the manager of international research framework programs – are represented by those geographers whose language is most often English. However, there is geography outside these extremes and a need to continue teaching and publishing in “small languages” such as Latvian. Integration of Latvia in the European Union will increase the number of geographers involved in contracting and consulting fields. There is need for particular geographical knowledge in the territorial organization and regional development policy in Latvia. In my brief encounters with Latvian policy makers I have noted that there exists misunderstanding concerning regional development, regional policy, and the EU Structural Funds. This is at least partly so because there is not enough conceptualization of the region and regional development theories – major concepts in Geography – in the Latvian language and in Latvian contexts. Furthermore, in Latvian as in many other languages, the geographical vocabulary is place and context sensitive. Many specific geographical words in Latvian do not translate very easily and directly into English. I observed this when discussing with Latvians nuances of different landscape types in a seminar (2002) in Estonia. Local linguistic usages and one’s mother tongue are very important in grasping sensitive geographic nuances. For scientific and applied research and their implementation it is important to know the concepts, terminology, and theories profoundly also in one’s mother tongue. Nevertheless, because in the world most geographical literature is written in languages than other Latvian, there is also a need to know other languages, and I would recommend at least English, Russian, German, and one Romanic language. This makes it possible for geographers of small countries to follow many fields and develop ideas in one’s mother tongue as well as in a foreign language. Today in Latvia, besides GRFG, there are other geography-related publications in the Academy of Sciences and at the University of Latvia as well as at sub-branches of the University and in several research institutes and organizations of public authorities. Ministries and other authorities publish research papers by geographers, but they do not have a particular journal devoted to geographical issues. GRFG is globally the most significant journal for geography in Latvian. My recommendation for GRFG is that it should remain a geographical journal about Latvia. It should contain viewpoints from both human and physical geography. My suggestion is that all articles should be in Latvian with tables and figure texts in Latvian and English and a full-page summary in English. I think that many aspects of geographical research are best expressed in the mother tongue. For Latvians there are plenty of opportunities to publish in English elsewhere. I also suggest writing also reviews in Latvian about different significant geographical concepts and theories – maybe a couple of articles in each journal issue. In a few years this would become an invaluable reference for students, scholars and policy makers in Latvia. A final recommendation is that the journal would be accessible on the Internet – even the journals from the 1920s and 1930s. GRFG has an important mission. GRFG is globally a unique arena in which there is published geographical research in Latvian. The articles create a very significant patrimony in
Page 1 and 2: ĢEOGRĀFISKI RAKSTI FOLIA GEOGRAPH
Page 3 and 4: ĢEOGRĀFISKI RAKSTI FOLIA GEOGRAPH
Page 5: Preface This is the second issue of
Page 9 and 10: Small languages - small geography?
Page 11 and 12: 9 GENERAL TRENDS learned societies.
Page 13: 11 GENERAL TRENDS counted. Almost t
Page 17 and 18: 15 GENERAL TRENDS Jauhiainen, J.S.
Page 19 and 20: 17 NATURE RESEARCH Figure 1. The ap
Page 21 and 22: 19 NATURE RESEARCH masses or at a g
Page 23 and 24: General information (Riga) 21 NATUR
Page 25 and 26: 23 NATURE RESEARCH interannual vari
Page 27 and 28: 25 NATURE RESEARCH oceanic part of
Page 29 and 30: 27 NATURE RESEARCH 3.5. Vegetation
Page 31 and 32: Pre-spring (PSP): second half of Fe
Page 33 and 34: Figure 7. Main: Decadal mean temper
Page 35 and 36: 33 NATURE RESEARCH After vernal equ
Page 37 and 38: 35 NATURE RESEARCH Abb- Description
Page 39 and 40: 37 NATURE RESEARCH Thus, setting in
Page 41 and 42: 39 NATURE RESEARCH xA air and conti
Page 43 and 44: 41 NATURE RESEARCH land and loss of
Page 45 and 46: 43 NATURE RESEARCH night, and rise
Page 47 and 48: 45 NATURE RESEARCH temperature curv
Page 49 and 50: 47 NATURE RESEARCH might contribute
Page 51 and 52: Character of ice regime in Latvian
Page 53 and 54: 51 NATURE RESEARCH Figure 1. Mean a
Page 55 and 56: Figure 3. Time series of ice break-
Page 57 and 58: 55 NATURE RESEARCH Jevrejeva, S. (2
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Page 63 and 64: 61 MAN AND ENVIRONMENT Gudenieki (1
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63 MAN AND ENVIRONMENT 20 th centur
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Changing patterns of population mob
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67 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY the desire to go
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69 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY After economic d
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71 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY economy has chan
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73 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Eglīte, P. (199
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75 DEVELOPMENT OF PLACES AND REGION
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85 LANDSCAPES AND CULTURE of that g
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87 LANDSCAPES AND CULTURE (4) wonde
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NORĀDES AUTORIEM Ģeogrāfiski Rak
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